In recent years, a case in which a copy machine, a print machine or the like for black-and-white use and for color use is used by combining a paper-sheet handling device that performs a punching process, a binding process or the like has been increased. According to this kind of paper-sheet handling device, as referred to page 2 and FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-320780, the paper-sheets after the image is formed are received and are perforated by utilizing a punching function provided on a downstream side of the paper-sheets. The paper-sheets after the perforation are aligned. A binding component is automatically inserted into the punch holes thus perforated of the aligned paper-sheets.
By the way, it is configured that the paper-sheet handling device is provided with a paper-sheet-reserving unit in which, when aligning a plurality of paper-sheets after the perforation, the paper-sheets are temporarily reserved. The paper-sheet-reserving unit is provided with an alignment pin driving mechanism and in the paper-sheet-reserving unit unit, a plurality of paper-sheets entered from a paper-sheet transport path is stacked up with them being aligned. The stacked paper-sheets are aligned with an end surface and a forward end of the each paper-sheet being adjusted with their reference positions. When paper-sheets are stacked by one volume, alignment pins are inserted into two predetermined punch holes in a bundle of paper-sheets so that rearrangement (pre-alignment) is performed thereon based on the positions of punch holes. It is configured that the bundle of rearranged paper-sheets is moved to the binding processing unit while it is sandwiched by a clamp movement mechanism. In the binding processing unit, any ring binding process is performed by a binding component under the condition where the bundle of paper-sheets is aligned. According to the conventional paper-sheet handling device, however, there are problems as follows.
i. A paper-sheet handling device disclosed in Page 2 and FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-320780 is provided with a clamp movement mechanism and the clamp movement mechanism holding the bundle of paper-sheets is often moved toward a binding processing unit parallel to it. If during this movement, a center position of the bundle of paper-sheets alters based on a thickness thereof, it is impossible to guide the center position of the bundle of paper-sheets to a ring center position of the binding processing unit with a good reproducibility, thereby resulting in a problem such that a poor binding by the binding member occurs.
ii. Accordingly, when the bundle of paper-sheets is moved from the paper-sheet-reserving unit to the binding processing unit while the center position alters on the basis of the thickness of the bundle of paper-sheets, the bundle of paper-sheets bends between a running guide and a clamper, thereby causing the bundle of paper-sheets to be scratched or the paper-sheets to be deviated from each other.
iii. If the poor binding by the binding member as described above occurs, any jam-removing operation must be performed in the paper-sheet-reserving unit under a condition where an excitation in a motor of the clamp-opening-and-closing driving section is turned off and a booklet is sandwiched in the clamp mechanism section. This causes the removing operation to be performed with a manipulation lever for opening the clamp being turned, thereby resulting in a problem of a poor operability on a jam processing.
iv. The above-mentioned paper-sheet handling device is provided with a clamp movement mechanism, which is often moved to the binding processing unit while it holds the bundle of paper-sheets. In this case, since the clamp movement mechanism is configured so that the clamp mechanism section and the clamp-opening-and-closing driving section are mounted on a main board, the clamp movement mechanism must be moved to the binding processing unit by the main board on which the clamp mechanism section and the clamp-opening-and-closing driving section are mounted if the clamp mechanism section holds the bundle of aligned paper-sheets.
v. Incidentally, if a structure such that the whole of clamp movement mechanism is moved to the binding processing unit is taken, a structure of the clamp movement mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “paper-sheet fixation and movement mechanism”) is not only made complex but harness (wiring) processing for supplying a power source to the clamp-opening-and-closing driving section is also made complex, thereby resulting in a problem such that it causes the paper-sheet handling device to be hindered from being made inexpensive.